# 119-hr-10107: Families Deserve to Know Act

119-hr-10107, Families Deserve to Know Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10107
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10107
- Congress: 119
- Title: Families Deserve to Know Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**Timely, compassionate notification** is the bill’s core aim. This bill would require ICE to collect and maintain emergency contact and medical proxy information and to notify those contacts quickly when someone dies, is critically ill, or is seriously injured in DHS custody. - Families and emergency contacts: Notifications must be attempted within 12 hours for deaths and within 12 to 24 hours for many serious medical events. Contacts can update information anytime and ICE must review and offer updates at least every 90 days with language access and privacy protections. - People in custody and medical staff: Intake must record emergency contacts, preferred notification order, and advance-directive info. The bill requires respectful, private notifications, offers in-person or virtual meetings, and ensures meaningful contact between contacts or proxies and treating providers. - Contractors, facilities, and oversight: Missing required notifications can trigger civil penalties of $100,000 per day and possible contract termination with a three-year debarment after repeated failures. A Family Notification Fund would hold penalty money for damages, individuals may sue for at least $100,000 per violation, and records must be kept for 10 years with OIG audits.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] (D-PR), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Access to remains, belongings, and visits: benefit, medium. If enacted, ICE would offer to return an individual's belongings and remains and give at least 7 days for a decision on disposition. ICE would help repatriate remains with a consulate when requested and would document unclaimed or rejected claims. The bill would require ICE to respect medical proxi…
- Audits, reports, and records retention: benefit, medium. If enacted, the DHS Inspector General would audit implementation no later than 1 year after enactment and then at least every two years. The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties office would run a complaints process and report annually to Congress. The Secretary would provide semiannual reports startin…
- Penalties and family damages for violations: mixed, high. If enacted, families, emergency contacts, next-of-kin, or representatives could sue in federal court for notification violations. A prevailing plaintiff could get actual damages or at least $100,000 for each violation, and each day a required notice remains unmade counts as a separate violation. Pr…
- Notification rules for detained people: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would define who counts as "in custody" and what a "covered death" is, including deaths within 30 days after ICE release when ICE knows or should know. ICE would be required to collect emergency contact details at intake, offer language help, and let people update contacts anyt…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-10107 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10107)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10107 (as of 2026-09-04).